The Imminent Huntress is in a rather sorry state. All of its top masts are severed and dangle from ropes off the sides. Even still, with the side masts functional, the ship limps forward; albeit without the ability to turn. Unlike the Timbergrove, the Imminent Huntress’s side masts were not designed for turning.

On the ship, the surviving crew- now eleven from the former twenty, are distracted by the approaching frigate instead of repairing the ship's damage. “Stay vigilant! That vessel’s got no cannons.” the former [First Mate], now [Captain], yells to the crew. The crew heed his advice and take position near the ship's center. They could try to man the cannons, but without the top masts, aiming would be difficult.”

“Derrin, why are they coming near us?” One of the crew, a young lad of eighteen, asks.

“Not sure, and call me [Captain] now,” he answers. “They clearly know we’re [Pirates] and they can see the ship’s in need of repairs. I doubt they’re here to offer help. My bet is they want to board us.”

“That's a frigate, do they even have the manpower to take us all on?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Derrin grins, “If they board, we board back.”

The [Pirates] wait as the ship nears them.

“[Captain], they’re not slowing! They’re going to crash.”

“I see that. Hold onto something!” he yells and grabs a rail.

Indeed, the incoming ship isn’t slowing down. At its direction and speed, it will crash into the Imminent Huntress.

But, just before impact, the sails and masts of the ship change. The ship drifts to the side, passing the Imminent Huntress by half a foot from making contact. As it passes, a man, woman, and cat hop off the ship. The frigate doesn't stop. It quickly flies away from the Imminent Huntress, making counterboarding impossible.

All eyes move to the boarders.

The first is a well-dressed tall woman with blond hair and blue eyes. Her coat looks of exceptional quality- something you’d see a [Captain] wear. But, most notable about her is the raven cutlass on her hip which denotes her as a [Bounty Hunter]. The man next to her is clearly the muscle. He’s tall, broad shouldered, with muscles bulging under the man's coat. Hefted on his shoulder is a runed warhammer. Of what quality, he does not know, but the presence of any runed weapon is a cause for concern.

Finally, there’s the cat. The cat is undoubtedly adorable. It has a puffy gray coat, big eyes, and a raised tail.

The feline hops up on a barrel.

“[Pirates]!” The cat yells- startling all those present.

“I am [Captain] Quasi Eludo and as is custom with my kind, I am taking ownership of both this vessel and your lives. Who is the acting [Captain] here? Or the new [Captain]? Or is it [First Mate]? You know what, it probably doesn’t matter. Lay down your weapons and prostrate yourselves to me as is only customary.”

“Prostrate?” Derrin asks.

The cat rolls its eyes. “Yes, prostrate! I am of the superior species here and I must be treated with proper respect. Otherwise,” the cat raises a paw- whereupon claws extend from his little paw. “You’ll find yourself in a great deal of pain.”

“[Captain], is that a talking cat?” one of the [Pirates] asks him.

“Ahh, so you’re the new [Captain].” The cat grins. “Purrfect. You may prostrate first so that my new crew knows how it is done.”

The cat stares at him expectantly.

“Well,” the cat waves a paw, “begin prostrating.”

“Comrade Quasi, how you prostrate?” the large man with a hammer asks.

The cat looks at the man with a pout. “Really Boris? You don't know how to prostrate?”

Boriss shakes his head. The cat sighs. “Prostrating is to lay on the ground with your head touching the ground. Kinda like a sitting bow.” the cat points a paw at Derrin, “the new [Captain] here will demonstrate.”

The sole female pinches the bridge of her nose as now both the cat and Boriss are staring at him expectantly. Hell, even the [Pirates] are looking at him with some weird expectations.

“I aint prostrating to nobody.” He exclaims, outraged.

“Vhat? Vhy? Is only fancy bow. Is fine, yes?” the large man asks.

“Wait, Boriss. Maybe he has knee problems and can’t prostrate? I mean, look at him. He’s got bloodshot eyes, covered in cuts, and that beard looks absolutely dirty. And don't get me started on the stench. Goddam, it's like they haven't showered or slept in weeks.”

Boriss rubs his chin with the hand not currently holding the warhammer. “Mmmm,” he rumbles in understanding.

The cat sighs. “Look, Drake- can I call you Drake? As a magnanimous member of my clearly superior species, I will allow you to attempt to prostrate yourself to the best of your ability. I’ll even ignore any inaccuracies in your form. So, go ahead.” The cat waves a paw like a [King] waves his arm with unbridled authority.

At this point, every pirate around him is staring at him expectantly, as though he actually might try to prostrate to a talking cat.

“Fuck you.” He curses.

“No thanks.” the cat answers quickly, “I prefer the more feminine sex- also, big species difference. You’d be far too tight.”

“Ha! Is funny joke.”

A few of the [Pirates] chuckle. Derrin glares at them and they quickly stop.

“You know what, this charade ends.” He unsheathes his cutlass and points it at the cat. “There's eleven of us and two of you. Surrender now and I won’t skin you.”

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The cat sighs and shakes his head. “Boriss, why do they always choose violence? I believe I was pretty reasonable asking only for prostration.”

“Da, very reasonable.” Boriss takes a stance with his hammer. A grin rises up to his lips. “Is fine, exercise is good.”

“Endlich,” the woman says. She unsheathes her raven cutlass.

“Well, it looks like you’ve chosen death.” The cat glances at the rest of the crew. “After I gut your [Captain] and several others, feel free to surrender by dropping your weapons and prostrating.”

The cat hops off the barrel and starts walking towards the [Pirates].

As the cat catwalks, its body begins to glow for a moment. Then, in a puff of smoke, the cat disappears and is replaced with a six foot tall horned monstrosity. The monster grins, revealing sharp teeth. Its eight eyes move independently while the digitigrade legs bend.

Derran takes a step back while the rest of his pirates unsheathe their own weapons- only now realizing that their opponents are actual threats.

Before he can call out an order, the monster jumps.

__________________________________________________________________________

After dropping off the three, Myers positions Timbergrove behind the Imminent Huntress and matches the ship's speed. Since the ship's cannons are on the broadside and the ship can't turn, there's no chance of retaliation at his position. Next, he takes out his spyglass so as to assess the situation, but before he can do that-.”

“Oy, what's happenin?”

Myers looks back. He watches Cillian fumble his way across the deck. The short plump man seems to have a slight sway in his gait as he makes his way up to him.

“Are you alright?”

“Tired. Very tired. The damn Russian woke me up by shakin and screamin at me. I damn near shat me-self.”

The scent of alcohol wafts off of Cillians lips. “Are you still drunk?” Myers asks in surprise.

Cillian grins, “I may have woke up in the middle of the wee night and had a little sip.”

Myers frowns. “At this rate, we’re not going to have any alcohol to sell.”

“Bah,” he waves a hand. “Don’t worry, alcohol’s cheap.”

Only now does Cillian notice the damaged ship in front of them. “What's happenin?”

“Damaged [Pirate] vessel. Your [Captain] has the bright idea to board the ship and subdue over ten [Pirates] with only them three.”

Cillians eyes widen. “Do ya think they have alcohol?”

Myers pauses, completely caught off by the question. “Didn’t you hear me? The’yre severely outnumbered.”

Cillian snorts. The short man stretches his arm above his head until he hears a slight pop.

“Yea, and? Quantity aint shit against quality. Boriss is undefeated in arena combat. Irmgard’s a professionally trained duelist, and Quasi- well, Quasi’s just scary.”

“The cat?”

Cillian grins knowingly. He points at the spyglass. “They’re on the ship, right? Take a peek.”

Myers frowns, but obliges. He extends the spyglass, aims, and then looks through the hole.

He winces as Boriss’s hammer makes contact with a [Pirate’s] side with such force that the man's body is sent flying into a barrel. He then steps back and dodges another [Pirate’s] cutlass with a grin on his mouth. Not far from him is Irmgard. The woman is, to Myers eyes, extremely skilled. She dances around two [Pirates] with phenomenal footwork. He cutlass is a blur as she parries every blow that comes her way. But, it’s clear that, though skilled, she lacks the experience in fighting multiple opponents. Myers had already noticed several openings she could have taken, but she’d used that opportunity to reposition and reset her stance instead of risking an attack. Useful if you’re trying to stall, but not good if your enemy heavily outnumbers you. Speaking of which, where are the rest of the [Pirates]?

Then he notices it.

“What is that!” He exclaims in surprise.

Cillian chuckles knowingly. “That would be our dear [Captain].”

“That's a Fenrimorph!”

“Oh? You know what that is?”

Myers nods.

“The Curse of Fenris.” He says grimly.

He extends the spyglass a bit more and zooms in on the scene. The Fenrimorph is surrounded by four wary [Pirates] with weapons pointed. Near them are two [Pirate] corpses. One of the corpses is missing an arm while the other looks like someone took a bite out of its throat. Which, considering the red blood dripping from the Fenrimorphs mouth, is exactly what happened.

Though surrounded, the Fenrimorph looks to be at ease and in complete control of the situation. As one of the [Pirates] rushes in for a stab, Myers expects the Fenrimorph to blindly rush. Instead, the beast side-steps easily, and then pounces at the [Pirate]. The other [Pirates] react by taking the opportunity of the distraction, but the Fenrimorph doesn't give them the chance. The Fenrimorph grabs the man's throat and then lifts and carries him outside of the circle with superior speed. When it turns around, the monster raises the man by the neck so that the other [Pirates] can see. Then it crushes the man's throat and throws the body to the side. The Fenrimorph tilts its head.

“How is he able to stay sane? All those cursed have eventually lost their minds.”

Cillian shrugs. “We killed the Alpha before he lost his mind.”

“It matters not.” Myers counters. “Killing the leader only slows the mind's decay. All have eventually succumbed to the curse. He should not be able to stay sane.”

“That seems like a question you should ask Quasi.”

“I think I will.”

_____________________________________________________________

I throw the choking [Pirate] to the side as he struggles for air. I stand near him, watching the three pirates stare at their slowly dying companion. I can both smell and see their fear as the struggles stop. I take a step towards them with a grin that shows all my teeth. They step back.

“Move, I’ve got it!”

At the start of the fight, the new [Captain] ordered his [Pirates] to attack me and then he ran off. I’d thought him a coward, but no.

The three [Pirates] move out of the way to allow the captain to rush forward. In one hand, he now carries a cutlass with a rune at the base, in the other…”

Fuck

He raises the pistol in my direction. I quickly raise my arms to cover my face. Then the gun goes off three times. I feel one bullet enter a leg, another my chest, and the third enters my arm. To my surprise, the bullets punctured my skin and muscles, but only slightly.

When I peek between my arms, I find the [Captain] is quickly trying to reload. With a growl, I kneel and then jump forward with a burst of speed.

“It’s coming!” one of the [Pirates] warns.

The [Captain], hearing the warning, abandons reloading and points the runed cutlass in my direction as though to stab. I don't dodge.

When I reach him, he stabs forward. The cutlass penetrates my stomach, but I ignore the pain. Instead, I pull him forward and take a bite out of his neck before throwing his limp body to the side. I quickly grab the gun and jump back before the other [Pirates] can react. I throw the gun behind me and then stare the remaining [Pirates] down with a cutlass in my stomach.

Then, while staring, I grab the cutlass handle and pull it out. Almost immediately, my blood coagulates and the bleeding stops. I throw the weapon behind me to join the gun. I then grin towards the three. At this point, they look like they’re about to shit themselves in abject fear.

With a continued grin, I raise my right arm, extend an index finger, and then point down several times.

All at once, the three [Pirates] drop their weapons and prostrate themselves before me.

With my side handled, I turn to see how my companions are doing. Irmgard stands at attention with two disarmed [Pirates] with their hands up.

As for Boriss. The man has abandoned his hammer. Instead, he’s sitting on the final [Pirate’s] chest and pummeling the man's face in with his bare fists.